car repair

My car was manufactured about eleven and a half years ago, which I thought was relatively old. That’s why I was surprised to learn that it’s perfectly average. According to data compiled by the consulting firm IHS Automotive, cars that are registered and on the roads have an average age of 11.5 years, and there’s a record number of cars registered right now. [More]

The best way to keep your car rolling for as long as possible is to keep it well maintained. While changes in how automobiles are made and repaired mean that it’s hard to do as much maintenance in your front yard than a few decades ago, there are some tasks that can save you money and time later on and that you can perform at home yourself without extensive auto repair training. [More]

Car-scratch repair pens are not magic. They might help you patch up light scratches on your car, sure, but they aren’t magic. What our gently buffed colleagues down the hall at Consumer Reports discovered when they tested some popular pens advertised for quick scratch repair. One problem with the products: a paint with no color can’t replace colored paint that has been scratched away. [More]

In my seven years of car ownership, the only time I’ve ever seen the “check engine” light was when I neglected to screw in the gas cap tightly enough on my Accord. That wasn’t very useful. But our ex-sibling site, Jalopnik, made the case earlier this week that there’s no good reason why car makers can’t just do away with the “check engine” light altogether, and have our cars actually tell us what’s wrong with them.

While everyone who owns a car should know how to change a tire, the extent of some drivers’ knowledge on the subject is to pull out a phone and dial up roadside assistance. Learning how to do it yourself can save you from hours-long waits and unnecessary deductibles.

We can’t name the specific Jeep dealership where Andy recently brought his car, but can offer his story as a cautionary tale. His experience confirms what we all secretly fear while speaking to service representatives: anyone who doesn’t source their own parts and have their own copy of the service manual is pretty much screwed.

Troy is a rational person, which is why he took Pep Boys’ advertisement of a guaranteed 29-minute oil change literally. A sign at his local outlet claims that if your oil change takes more than 29 minutes, you’ll receive a $10 voucher for your next oil change. Except that’s not actually how the program works, and Troy found that there’s apparently always a way to weasel out of giving customers the $10.

Greg tells Consumerist that he was a loyal customer of Firestone Complete Auto Care, and brought his car in for some diagnostic tests to figure out some non-urgent problems. The shop called him to tell him that his car had a fuel filter problem and he would need to take it to the dealer: fine, that happens. When Greg started up his car to leave, it was hard not to notice the loud knocking sound in front. Either he happened to break the front axle when starting the car, or something went horribly awry during his repair.

Peter has stumbled on a way to save big money on car repairs: ask the dealer to refer you to their go-to mechanics, schedule an appointment with the source and tell ’em who sentcha. He says the technique has slashed his car repair bills:

Mike took his car to his local Pep Boys for some simple service. In the end, he might have been better off leaving the car in his driveway. He claims that the shop’s employees lost his only car key, then made excuses to leave his car without being repaired for days on end. He’s asking Consumerist for help.